Low Sodium Cheese

Finding low sodium cheeses is quite difficult. They are not readily available at most local grocery stores. Of course, you can always order them from a low sodium online source, but I don't like the idea of plunking down a bunch of money for a product and its shipping, only to discover that it tastes yucky. My local grocery stores all carry Alpine Lace Reduced Sodium Muenster Cheese (1 slice = 85 mg. sodium) in the self-service section of their delis. The cheese tastes OK (muenster is rather bland to start with), but it is very soft and almost impossible to separate. I don't buy it very often as a result.

My local Safeway carries its house brand of sliced Primo Taglio Reduced Fat Low Sodium Lacy Swiss (1 slice = 35 mg. sodium). It's usually pretty easy to separate the slices, so I buy it often and use it in sandwiches. Alpine Lace Reduced Fat Swiss is fairly low in sodium too (1 slice = 90 mg. sodium). Because it's a Swiss cheese, the thin slices are also easy to separate.

I've found that Swiss cheese has the lowest sodium content of any regular type cheese; most regular cheese has 170 mg. sodium per oz. or even more. You have to check the labels, of course, but most blocks of Swiss cheese have a sodium content similar to the Tilamook Swiss Cheese (1 oz. = 60 mg.) I often purchase. I'll even buy sliced Swiss from the deli counter after I ask about its sodium content. Look for naturally lower sodium Swiss cheese blocks at your local grocers.

Our favorite cheese is Tilamook Sharp Cheddar (1 oz. = 170 mg. sodium). Obviously, I have to be careful using it, and I've developed a "work around." When I shred cheese, I use half sharp cheddar & half block Swiss. Doing it that way, I lower the sodium content considerably and the flavor is as good or even better. Another thing I do is shred cheese in advance and freeze the shreds.That way I can add just a sprinkling to any dish that needs a little visual "punch."

I've discovered that fresh mozzarella cheese is also naturally low in sodium. My local grocery stores carry Mozzarella Fresca (1 oz. = 95 mg. sodium) and Smoked Mozzarella Fresca (1 oz. = 25 mg. sodium). Trader Joe's Ovoline is also only 25 mg/oz.  The fresh mozzarella is quite soft, so before I slice it for pizza, I usually stick it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This stiffens it up enough so I can slice it fairly easily. You might have better luck just cutting it into cubes. That's what I usually end up doing. Also, it's packed in a brine, so I dry it in paper towels before adding it to any dish. Check out the fresh mozzarella offerings at your local grocery stores.

Safeway carries an unsalted cottage cheese. Unfortunately, it doesn't taste that good all by itself! It's very good in lasagna, spanakopita, enchiladas, ziti, and baked goods. If you like to eat plain cottage cheese, you might want to try one of these "work around" options. OPTION #1: Buy one container of the Lucerne No Salt Added 1% Cottage Cheese (1/2 cup = 45 mg. sodium) and one container of Lucerne 2% Cottage Cheese (1/2 cup = 410 mg. sodium). Combine the two containers and re-pack. Now you'll have a lower sodium cottage cheese (1/2 cup = 228 mg. sodium) that has some flavor. OPTION #2: Buy one container of the Lucerne No Salt Added 1% Cottage Cheese (1/2 cup = 45 mg. sodium) and add 1/2 tsp. of Kosher salt (or less); mix well. This will also give you a lower sodium content (1/2 c. = 180 mg. sodium). Again, not a perfect low salt solution. However, by itself, it is just fine in any casserole type dish where it's combined with some robust flavors.

Garlic Dipping Sauces for Bread

Homemade Low Sodium Bread

My husband loves to dip chunks of crusty French bread in olive oil. It's something he enjoys so much, he could make a meal of it. I know olive oil is good for you, but the calories add up. So I like to provide a flavorful homemade dipping sauce he can use instead of just the oil. Depending on my mood or what I've got on hand at the moment, I make one of two different sauces, each featuring whole garlic cloves.

(Printable Recipe)

Garlic & Broth: The first sauce is simply 2 cups of NSA chicken or vegetable broth simmered with a handful (or more) of peeled, whole garlic cloves until the garlic gets really soft. When the garlic is done, I'll add several swigs of extra virgin olive oil & freshly ground pepper.

Garlic & Tomatoes: The second sauce is almost the same except, instead of all broth, I'll use a can of NSA diced tomatoes, about 1/2 cup NSA broth, and a tbsp. of dried basil along with the garlic and olive oil. 

Both dipping sauces are tasty because of the garlic and much lower in calories and fat than the olive oil dippers you encounter at many Italian restaurants. The soft garlic can be squeezed on bread instead of butter or saved for other applications -- maybe blended into a garlicky vinaigrette or added to a quick pasta toss. Some crusty bread, the dipping sauce, the smushy garlic to spread, and a slice of low sodium Swiss cheese. A true Mediterranean feast!

Char Siu (Chinese Barbequed Pork)

My husband really loves the Chinese barbecued pork from the Hot Wok at our local grocery store. It calls to him. Because of his low sodium diet, he really shouldn't eat it. But if he's feeling down, he sometimes gives into temptation. I didn't think it was possible to make this dish at home until several months ago when I found some homemade recipes online. I copied the recipes but was hesitant to use them because of the use of hoisin sauce. I figured it was too salty to even use a little bit. I even looked up recipes for homemade hoisin sauce, but I didn't want to end up making another disappointing homemade concoction.

Anyhow, our local grocery store had pork on sale, so I decided to give the recipes a try. I checked out the brands of hoisin available, and bought the one with the lowest sodium content (Sun Luck: 240 mg/tbsp). I also drastically reduced the amount used in the recipes. The pork marinated for a day, and we had it for dinner tonight. My husband really liked it, so I can add it to my low sodium Chinese repertoire. Here's what I did:

Char Siu Pork
(Printable Recipe)


Marinade:
1 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce (Substitute 1 tsp. of salt-free 5 spice powder for even lower sodium)
3 tbsp. honey 
2 tbsp. low sodium Soy Sauce
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 clove garlic crushed

Glaze :
2 tbsp. honey, warmed

2 lbs. pork tenderloin

Put all ingredients except the pork and glaze in a small saucepan. Heat for a couple of minutes, long enough for the sugar to dissolve. Remove from heat and cool. Marinate pork in this mixture for 6-8 hours minimum; the longer, the more flavor (I marinated overnight) Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove pork from marinade and arrange on a rack set on a roasting pan.(I lined the pan with Reynold's Non-Stick foil). Bake 10 - 15 minutes. Turn the pork over.

Cook for another 10 - 15 minutes. Do NOT overcook or the meat will dry out! Check temperature; it should be about 135 - 140 degrees. The temperature will rise, and the pork will continue cooking as it broils. Remove from oven. Brush pork with the warmed honey glaze and broil for about 2-4 minutes until it is nicely browned and slightly charred. Let pork rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Low Sodium Cooking -- A rant

I have friends whose husbands have had heart attacks and the poor guys could not continue on their physician-directed diets. The wives were not up to the task because they were not very good cooks. After several months of plain vegetables served with plain, unseasoned grilled chicken breasts, who wouldn't give up? If sprinkling on some Mrs. Dash is your only flavoring adventure, you know you won't be able to stick with it!

I took a "class" for living with a salt restricted diet. There was a lot of emphasis on what to avoid but very little help with what do use instead of salt. The suggestions were pretty pathetic -- Mrs. Dash & lemon juice! What do you do once you get sick of the Mrs. Dash products and get sick of having everything lemon flavored?

One of the members of the Cooking Forum summed it up this way: "It's pretty easy for a physician or dietitian to say you should eat a very low fat, low sodium diet, but very few of them have ever had to try it, day after day, week after week for years and years. Some of these recommended diets are so extreme that no one can follow them, and so people completely give up trying - rather than finding a more moderate approach that they can live with and still eat healthy."

Living on a sodium restricted diet can be daunting. I know my husband is grateful for my ability to make low sodium meals taste good. One of the things I want to accomplish with this blog is to encourage people who are new to low sodium living. You can lower your sodium intake AND create tasty food! And you don't have to be a master chef. It's a challenge but not an impossible one.